About the only similarity Wellington has to Hongkong is its curved harbor surrounded by hillsides dotted with houses and elegant high-rises.
As we made the trek toward the BOTANIC GARDEN, surveying the scenery around, we noted that Wellington was actually very picturesquely verdant, broken up by multi-level areas occupied by a variety of buildings and offices. Negotiating a winding road bedecked on either side with historic tombstones, we soon came upon the leafy enclaves of the garden. Although the roses corralled in 106 formal beds were not in bloom yet, the riot of colors from tulips and flowering trees everywhere was dazzling.
 |
| Flower people still around? |
The PARLIAMENT building, just a few blocks from our suite, was a curiosity. Shaped like a beehive with a puny flag atop, it looked like a bonnet that Olive Oyl would have sported. Indoors, very impressive was the Maori Affairs Committee Room which was ornately decorated with wooden carvings and native weavings. However, down in its basement was a most interesting sight - the building foundation that sat on rubber bearings. Using the noted base isolation technique, the building will actually be able to move up to 12 inches sideways, thus reducing the impact of an earthquake.
 |
| At the Parliament building |
Wellington’s cultural jewel, in our mind, was the TE PAPA TONGAREWA museum. Reputedly one of the largest national museums in the world, it did not fail to impress with the variety of inter-active and audio-visual media in which artifacts and migrant stories of the New Zealand peoples were presented. We felt the tremor of an earthquake, walked barefoot on the floor of a wharenui (house structure), saw the carcass of a colossal squid specimen, and experienced a walk-on satellite map of New Zealand that triggered images.
 |
| Maori carving at museum |
To CHRISTCHURCH it will be tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment